Baking Constraint Keys to iMotion (New for 5.3)

When you use the Collect Clip feature to export the motions of a character, you may also bake the Reach, Look At and Link (in Constraint group) keys into the motion, so that the exported motions will be identical to the original motion settings that you see in iClone.

Furthermore, this feature ensures the accuracy of the exported motions when you want to export them in FBX/BVH formats via the 3DXchange Pipelline.

Baking Constraint Keys to iMotion

1. Prepare a character and a prop.
   
2. Select the character.
3. Apply a motion clip by any method (apply from the library or by body puppeteering) to the character.
   
4. Link the character to the prop and adjust the character to an ideal position.
   
5. Set Reach key to the character.
   
6. Set Look at keys to the character so that it looks at a certain target.

   The character looks at the camera

7. Set motion layer keys to adjust the character's pose.
   
8. Select the prop and set transform keys to the prop via the Prop Puppeteering method. Since the character is linked to the prop, the character will move along with the prop.

   The character looks at the camera

9. Make sure the character is selected.
10. Go to the Animation >> Motion >> Collect Clip Setting section. Activate the Bake Constraint Key checkbox in the Modify panel on the right.
    
11. Open the Timeline (Shortcut: F3) and collect an iMotion from the character.
    
12. Open another project with a character.
    
13. Apply the collected motion clip to the character.

    The iMotion baked complete with constraint keys. (The results of Reach, Look-at and Link keys are kept)
    The iMotion without constraint keys.

    Note:

    The Path keys will always be baked to the collected iMotion even if the Bake Constraint Key checkbox is inactive.

Fixing Captured Motions with Baking Constraint Keys

The biggest benefit of the Bake Constraint Key is to fix rough motions that are captured via the motion-capturing device (Microsoft's Kinect Sensor), especially those that suffer from sliding or floating issues. By combining the use of the Reach keys and the Bake Constraint Key feature, the problems can be fixed up to create a motion without hovering around.

1. Capture a motion by using the Device Mocap Panel.

   The motion slides around and floats in the air. Especially the feet and the pelvis.

   Note:

   Please note that this captured result is exaggerated for better observations of this feature and its result. This example deliberately uses bad body calibration, and dynamic body positions that are different from the initial fixed position during the capturing.

2. Add three props (you may optionally set them as dummy object).
   
3. Set reach keys to the character so that the pelvis and the feet reach and lock to the props.
   
4. Go to the Animation >> Motion >> Collect Clip Setting section. Activate the Bake Constraint Key checkbox.
   
5. Open the Timeline (Shortcut: F3) and collect an iMotion from the character.
   
6. Open another project with two characters.
   
7. Individually apply the original motion and the collected motion to the characters.

   The iMotion baked with reach keys, which fixes the sliding and floating issues of the original motion clip.